You step into a room filled to the brim with seats. A blank screen lies before you, blanketed by an ocean of darkness. There are no lights, no rules and no comprehension of what you are about to see.
Suddenly the screen begins to blast images of explosions, shootouts, romance, and death before your eyes. Loudspeakers engulf your ears in a tidal wave of sounds. A new world is now before you. Welcome to the entertainment center of America; welcome to the movies.
From the unstoppable outlaw of the west, to the brave and fearless explorer, mankind throughout history has always sought to live their ultimate fantasies. As radical and unrealistic as these goals may seem, Hollywood, a powerful and influential hot spot, has conquered this task. As Clint Eastwood could tell you, walking in the shoes of a cowboy from the Old West is very much possible.
I myself find it pretty fascinating how a little dash of makeup, some physical training, and a written script can turn an Average Joe into The Man With No Name. If like me, you’re a nerdy kid who dreams of fighting aliens deep in outer space, then why not be like William Shatner and become the captain of your own starship?
As most people would agree, the cinema industry has indeed changed the entertainment game forever. What were once black and white silent images moving on a screen are now fully colored, high definition, widescreen portals to a new world. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end.
Recent movie releases have revealed an unnerving reality about the cinema industry. While talented actors and incredible writers are always hard at work, the repeated release of movie remakes has not only grown tiresome to both fans and critics, but they also serve as alarming proof that movie corporations and producers are indeed running out of ideas for new films.
For example, the latest release of Dredd may seem new, but it is simply a more violent, computer animated and colorful version of the 1995 movie Judge Dredd that movie critics proclaimed as, and I quote, “A critical and commercial disappointment.”
Dredd was not the only remake that producers attempted to pass off as new. I Am Legend, starring Will Smith, was released in 2007 and quickly became a must-see film among people of all ages. While most people loved the movie, little to no one knows that it was just a remake of Richard Matheson’s novel I Am Legend, written in 1954, Which was the concept of the 1964 movie, The Last Man On Earth, the inspiration behind the 1970 film The Omega Man.
Just how deep is the cinema ‘copycat’ wound? Read the following sentence and find out. “In March 2010, Legendary Pictures formally announced the project after it had acquired rights to make a Godzilla film from Toho, with a tentative release date of May 16, 2014, 3D theatrical release.” Yes my fellow film freaks, Godzilla is returning once again.
Could the world be seeing the final years of the once glorified cinema industry? Or are these series of movie “blunders” just another bump in the road to glory? Only time will tell. No matter the case, one reality is clear: the human race will always find a way to bring our greatest fantasies to life, even if it’s only on an HD screen.
